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*'''Auspice''': Theurge
 
*'''Auspice''': Theurge
 
*'''Tribe''': Children of Gaia
 
*'''Tribe''': Children of Gaia
*'''Rank''': Fostern (2)[[File:Dakotahomid.jpg|thumb|Dakota In Homid]][[File:Dakotalupus.jpg|thumb|Dakota In Lupus]]
+
*'''Rank''': Fostern (2)
  +
*Birthdate: Jan 4th, 2987
  +
*Creation Date: 10/2003 (Cub)
  +
*Departure Date: 2/2006 (Cliath)
  +
*Return Date: 4/2014 (Fostern)
   
 
==History Part 1: Pride Before The Fall==
 
==History Part 1: Pride Before The Fall==
   
   
  +
  +
[[File:Dakotahomid.jpg|thumb|Dakota In Homid]]
 
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(51,46,30);"><span style="letter-spacing:0.0px">Dakota was born amongst normal kinfolk who was sent off to a caern in Washington state known as The Hidden Walk upon her first change to be trained by her cousin, Alicia. There she became quickly known as feisty, as Children of Gaia go, unafraid of a challenge and actually fairly competent in a battle - be it with creature of the Wyrm or sparring practice with Get of Fenris. Even more, though, she was a sponge when it came to anything even resembling spiritual knowledge and eagerly chased down any of the older Garou in the hopes she might learn a new bit of knowledge. She was barely out of her cubhood when she was asked to join a pack led by the Adren Fianna sept alpha under stag, along with her own cousin (then Tribe Elder) and two other highly ranked Garou. Startled but well pleased by the honor, she accepted, and quickly gained recognition for the company she carried and the dedication she gave to her job. She even spent time as the guardian and caretaker of the sept's farmhouse, a rural safehouse just off the bawn where cubs and kinfolk spent much of their time. She was named Master of Rites and then Gatekeeper, a meteoric rise to power almost unheard of in a Cliath. In time, She even took a Glass Walker kin, named Jeremy, as a mate and bore two kinfolk sons. It didn't initially go over well, as the two eloped as opposed to asking the permission of their elders, but they were generally considered harmless and avoided punishments. She held strong relations with the tribes and with her connections and roles it seemed she was untouchable, on the fast track to fame.</span></p>
 
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(51,46,30);"><span style="letter-spacing:0.0px">Dakota was born amongst normal kinfolk who was sent off to a caern in Washington state known as The Hidden Walk upon her first change to be trained by her cousin, Alicia. There she became quickly known as feisty, as Children of Gaia go, unafraid of a challenge and actually fairly competent in a battle - be it with creature of the Wyrm or sparring practice with Get of Fenris. Even more, though, she was a sponge when it came to anything even resembling spiritual knowledge and eagerly chased down any of the older Garou in the hopes she might learn a new bit of knowledge. She was barely out of her cubhood when she was asked to join a pack led by the Adren Fianna sept alpha under stag, along with her own cousin (then Tribe Elder) and two other highly ranked Garou. Startled but well pleased by the honor, she accepted, and quickly gained recognition for the company she carried and the dedication she gave to her job. She even spent time as the guardian and caretaker of the sept's farmhouse, a rural safehouse just off the bawn where cubs and kinfolk spent much of their time. She was named Master of Rites and then Gatekeeper, a meteoric rise to power almost unheard of in a Cliath. In time, She even took a Glass Walker kin, named Jeremy, as a mate and bore two kinfolk sons. It didn't initially go over well, as the two eloped as opposed to asking the permission of their elders, but they were generally considered harmless and avoided punishments. She held strong relations with the tribes and with her connections and roles it seemed she was untouchable, on the fast track to fame.</span></p>
 
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(51,46,30);"><span style="letter-spacing:0.0px">In just a few short years after her Rite of Passage, she challenged for Fostern and was just waiting for acknowledgement at the next moot for the completion of the talens she was requested to make when everything came crashing down. A conflict between her, Jeremy, and a Shadow Lord found her mate labeled a traitor and slated for death. for Fearing the frenzy of the Lord, he brandished a silver-loaded gun at the raging Garou in self-defense, though he never once fired. Dakota’s adamant arguments that he was both only protecting himself and that killing him would leave their infant children without caretakers all fell on deaf ears and soon enough punishments were scheduled to fall upon her as well - primarily for her knowledge of the hidden weapon and for dishonorable conduct against her elders. Infuriated, confused, and terrified, one night Dakota bid the caern totem farewell and left the sept and moved her family into hiding. Jeremy took the boys to a safe haven and with him went a family friend, a Galliard Walker named Trent, to protect them. Alicia and Dakota went south to San Francisco and the Sept of the Western Eye, hoping the American stronghold of their tribe would provide respite and to seek out family that might be there. The year was 2006.</span></p>
 
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(51,46,30);"><span style="letter-spacing:0.0px">In just a few short years after her Rite of Passage, she challenged for Fostern and was just waiting for acknowledgement at the next moot for the completion of the talens she was requested to make when everything came crashing down. A conflict between her, Jeremy, and a Shadow Lord found her mate labeled a traitor and slated for death. for Fearing the frenzy of the Lord, he brandished a silver-loaded gun at the raging Garou in self-defense, though he never once fired. Dakota’s adamant arguments that he was both only protecting himself and that killing him would leave their infant children without caretakers all fell on deaf ears and soon enough punishments were scheduled to fall upon her as well - primarily for her knowledge of the hidden weapon and for dishonorable conduct against her elders. Infuriated, confused, and terrified, one night Dakota bid the caern totem farewell and left the sept and moved her family into hiding. Jeremy took the boys to a safe haven and with him went a family friend, a Galliard Walker named Trent, to protect them. Alicia and Dakota went south to San Francisco and the Sept of the Western Eye, hoping the American stronghold of their tribe would provide respite and to seek out family that might be there. The year was 2006.</span></p>
 
==History Part 2: The Meaning of Sacrifice==
 
==History Part 2: The Meaning of Sacrifice==
  +
[[File:Dakjerkids.png|thumb|Daniel and Roger Winters (age 6)]]
 
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(51,46,30);"><span style="letter-spacing:0.0px">She told the sept elders of the Western Eye the whole story, and though compassionate as Children of Gaia are often known for, they were still displeased at the events. They stated that though her intentions to protect her family were noble and that she had been worthy of the Fostern rank that was never given, the risk she left the caern in by abandoning her post as Gatekeeper were appalling. In return for her remaining among them and being granted the rank, she would have to sacrifice that which she fought so hard to protect and instead remind herself of the true battle that needed fought. For the span of five years, one year for each phase of the moon, she was not to leave the bawn nor have contact with the family she sent away to protect - instead giving her time and attention fully to the well-being of the caern and the duties of her auspice and tribe. If she failed, she would be cast away, dishonored and septless. If she succeeded, she would we welcome and free to challenge for rank once more. Trusting Trent to keep her family safe, Dakota agreed, mourning the separation from her family but knowing full well she needed to regain her honor if she had any chance of being little more than a ronin. </span></p>
 
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(51,46,30);"><span style="letter-spacing:0.0px">She told the sept elders of the Western Eye the whole story, and though compassionate as Children of Gaia are often known for, they were still displeased at the events. They stated that though her intentions to protect her family were noble and that she had been worthy of the Fostern rank that was never given, the risk she left the caern in by abandoning her post as Gatekeeper were appalling. In return for her remaining among them and being granted the rank, she would have to sacrifice that which she fought so hard to protect and instead remind herself of the true battle that needed fought. For the span of five years, one year for each phase of the moon, she was not to leave the bawn nor have contact with the family she sent away to protect - instead giving her time and attention fully to the well-being of the caern and the duties of her auspice and tribe. If she failed, she would be cast away, dishonored and septless. If she succeeded, she would we welcome and free to challenge for rank once more. Trusting Trent to keep her family safe, Dakota agreed, mourning the separation from her family but knowing full well she needed to regain her honor if she had any chance of being little more than a ronin. </span></p>
   
 
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(51,46,30);"><span style="letter-spacing:0.0px">She lived through those five years, not quite an accepted member but grudgingly welcomed like an errant family member all the same. She assisted however she could. She following the Groundskeeper to help tend the land and learn the bawn and the spirits who lived there. She ran with the Guardian packs, striking down those who threatened the caern. She listened at the feet of the ancient and wise Ritemaster and Gatekeeper, learning what they would offer and honing her own skills and knowledge with the same hungry fervor she was known for as a cub. She came to be well known and regarded at the Western Eye and even came to know of some distant relations still residing there from both her Gaian and Fury lineages. She came to know the latter quite closely, enraptured by the stories of her maternal grandfather, Justinian "Restores-the-Wastelands" Petropolis, who was born among the Furies and came to rise to the Athro ranks among the Children as a firm but fair Philodox who’s patient, wise counsel was frequently sought.</span></p>
 
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(51,46,30);"><span style="letter-spacing:0.0px">She lived through those five years, not quite an accepted member but grudgingly welcomed like an errant family member all the same. She assisted however she could. She following the Groundskeeper to help tend the land and learn the bawn and the spirits who lived there. She ran with the Guardian packs, striking down those who threatened the caern. She listened at the feet of the ancient and wise Ritemaster and Gatekeeper, learning what they would offer and honing her own skills and knowledge with the same hungry fervor she was known for as a cub. She came to be well known and regarded at the Western Eye and even came to know of some distant relations still residing there from both her Gaian and Fury lineages. She came to know the latter quite closely, enraptured by the stories of her maternal grandfather, Justinian "Restores-the-Wastelands" Petropolis, who was born among the Furies and came to rise to the Athro ranks among the Children as a firm but fair Philodox who’s patient, wise counsel was frequently sought.</span></p>
   
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(51,46,30);"><span style="letter-spacing:0.0px">It was not easy living, however. Long used to an urban life, the homid-born Dakota chafed at the prolonged life on the bawn. The Muir Woods were a wild labyrinth of woodland in the midst of the city she could only ever see at a distance through the trees. As years passed, she began to grow more accustomed to living as a wolf than a human, pushing away memories of her lost family and life and focusing solely on that day, that next meal, the next fight, the next spirit she needed to work with. She spent a great deal of time interacting with the small, well-protected kinpack sheltered deep in the forest. She stopped thinking of the past and stopped thinking of the future, losing herself in the here and now and taking herself out of the equation. To keep herself grounded in her humanity, she took up practices like Buddhist zen and meditation techniques from the native Uktena of the sept, using it to connect herself to the greater spirit world and her place in it all. She learned to dismiss her anger and her grief, to move past the pain of her exodus from the Hidden Walk and her own flaws. Among it all, she nearly lost her life in a battle with a bane who managed to make it onto the bawn. In the end, she barely held on to her life and her right arm. The scarring and damage would never fully heal and leave her with hampered motion and sensation.[[File:Dakjerkids.png|thumb|Daniel and Roger Winters (age 6)]]</span></p>
+
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(51,46,30);"><span style="letter-spacing:0.0px">It was not easy living, however. Long used to an urban life, the homid-born Dakota chafed at the prolonged life on the bawn. The Muir Woods were a wild labyrinth of woodland in the midst of the city she could only ever see at a distance through the trees. As years passed, she began to grow more accustomed to living as a wolf than a human, pushing away memories of her lost family and life and focusing solely on that day, that next meal, the next fight, the next spirit she needed to work with. She spent a great deal of time interacting with the small, well-protected kinpack sheltered deep in the forest. She stopped thinking of the past and stopped thinking of the future, losing herself in the here and now and taking herself out of the equation. To keep herself grounded in her humanity, she took up practices like Buddhist zen and meditation techniques from the native Uktena of the sept, using it to connect herself to the greater spirit world and her place in it all. She learned to dismiss her anger and her grief, to move past the pain of her exodus from the Hidden Walk and her own flaws. Among it all, she nearly lost her life in a battle with a bane who managed to make it onto the bawn. In the end, she barely held on to her life and her right arm. The scarring and damage would never fully heal and leave her with hampered motion and sensation.</span></p>
   
 
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(51,46,30);"><span style="letter-spacing:0.0px">When Dakota stepped before the moot at the end of the fifth year, a chilly spring night in 2011, she was no longer the young, too-proud, naive Theurge that came to them. She was scarred physically, humbled mentally, and had grown spiritually. She’d come to terms and peace with herself and her mistakes and was ready to move forward. With the approval of the sept’s spirits and Garou, her punishment was finally lifted. She challenged on the spot for the rank of Fostern, which was accepted. For the challenge, she was to recreate the talens that she had made for her last challenge. What she presented was what was termed Luck Candy. Hardened circles of raw, naturally-gathered honey each contained a wild four-leaf clover. They were bound with the spirit of a rabbit, and provided the consumer a one-time boon at a particular action. Pleased with the results, the elder fostern declared the challenge a success. Dakota was given then a new name, Sacrifices-the-Heart’s-Blood in remembrance of what she had given up in penance. </span></p>
 
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(51,46,30);"><span style="letter-spacing:0.0px">When Dakota stepped before the moot at the end of the fifth year, a chilly spring night in 2011, she was no longer the young, too-proud, naive Theurge that came to them. She was scarred physically, humbled mentally, and had grown spiritually. She’d come to terms and peace with herself and her mistakes and was ready to move forward. With the approval of the sept’s spirits and Garou, her punishment was finally lifted. She challenged on the spot for the rank of Fostern, which was accepted. For the challenge, she was to recreate the talens that she had made for her last challenge. What she presented was what was termed Luck Candy. Hardened circles of raw, naturally-gathered honey each contained a wild four-leaf clover. They were bound with the spirit of a rabbit, and provided the consumer a one-time boon at a particular action. Pleased with the results, the elder fostern declared the challenge a success. Dakota was given then a new name, Sacrifices-the-Heart’s-Blood in remembrance of what she had given up in penance. </span></p>
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==History Part 3: Nowhere Left But Up==
 
==History Part 3: Nowhere Left But Up==
  +
[[File:643031-bigthumbnail.jpg|thumb|Dakota's Pups]]
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(51,46,30);"><span style="letter-spacing:0.0px">With her past behind her, Dakota immersed herself in the Western Eye as a full member of the Sept. So accustomed to the bawn and the spirits there, she was a natural fit for one of the Guardian packs. Named Preservation, under the totem of Moose, they were closely associated with the Groundskeeper in both depending and keeping the Muir Woodlands healthy and clean. Their totem’s request, however, was one that took her by surprise. Moose’s seasonal requests mostly dealt around the keeping of the land, but as autumn approached she came to learn that Moose requested his followers breed with the best suited mate. So soon after the loss of her own family, the idea of even thinking of being with someone else was painful. She had vowed she would not take a husband again after splitting with Jeremy. Unwilling to risk the anger of her pack totem, she sought out a compromise. The resident pack of Uktena and Gaian wolves was accepting of her presence and so Dakota sought her company with them. Secretly, she was grateful when nothing came of it. </span></p>
 
  +
<span style="font-size:12px;line-height:normal;background-color:rgb(242,242,242);">
  +
</span><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(51,46,30);"><span style="letter-spacing:0.0px">With her past behind her, Dakota immersed herself in the Western Eye as a full member of the Sept. So accustomed to the bawn and the spirits there, </span></p>
 
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(51,46,30);"><span style="letter-spacing:0.0px">she was a natural fit for one of the Guardian packs. Named Preservation, under the totem of Moose, they were closely associated with the Groundskeeper in both depending and keeping the Muir Woodlands healthy and clean. Their totem’s request, however, was one that took her by surprise. Moose’s seasonal requests mostly dealt around the keeping of the land, but as autumn approached she came to learn that Moose requested his followers breed with the best suited mate. So soon after the loss of her own family, the idea of even thinking of being with someone else was painful. She had vowed she would not take a husband again after splitting with Jeremy. Unwilling to risk the anger of her pack totem, she sought out a compromise. The resident pack of Uktena and Gaian wolves was accepting of her presence and so Dakota sought her company with them. Secretly, she was grateful when nothing came of it. </span></p>
   
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(51,46,30);"><span style="letter-spacing:0.0px">2012 was a busy year. Tourists were particularly heavy around the woods and the pack was kept on their toes ensuring no one managed to sneak through the bawn’s misleading defenses. Taking advantage of it, Spirals were seen for the first time in several years making a direct attack on the caern. Dakota was in on the fray and even managed to reclaim two of their fetishes that had been stolen from other Garou and cleansed them before turning them over to the Sept Elders. She continued expanding her knowledge, seeking out Rites from among the elder Theurges and trading talens and errands in exchange. For the most part, the year was peaceful, and she relished the chance to get to live as a full community member. The Sept was pleased, even more when fall came once again and she became pregnant to one of the well-bred Gaian wolves.[[File:643031-bigthumbnail.jpg|thumb|Dakota's Pups]]</span></p>
+
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(51,46,30);"><span style="letter-spacing:0.0px">2012 was a busy year. Tourists were particularly heavy around the woods and the pack was kept on their toes ensuring no one managed to sneak through the bawn’s misleading defenses. Taking advantage of it, Spirals were seen for the first time in several years making a direct attack on the caern. Dakota was in on the fray and even managed to reclaim two of their fetishes that had been stolen from other Garou and cleansed them before turning them over to the Sept Elders. She continued expanding her knowledge, seeking out Rites from among the elder Theurges and trading talens and errands in exchange. For the most part, the year was peaceful, and she relished the chance to get to live as a full community member. The Sept was pleased, even more when fall came once again and she became pregnant to one of the well-bred Gaian wolves.</span></p>
 
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(51,46,30);"><span style="letter-spacing:0.0px">On a moonless spring night, she gave birth to three pups, one of which was born true. She struggled to bond with them, still plagued by the memory of her two older sons she had all but abandoned, but she cared for them well and ensured they were well associated with the pack who would take over a bulk of their care when the moon was heavy. When they were old enough to eat meat, she left them fully in the care of their sire and pack and returned to her duties - though she always kept a wistful, watchful eye on them. For all she was content at the Western Eye, memories still plagued her. The life she could have had and was lost never fully left her mind no matter how much she meditated and tried to banish it. There was still a ghost to exorcise.</span></p>
 
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(51,46,30);"><span style="letter-spacing:0.0px">On a moonless spring night, she gave birth to three pups, one of which was born true. She struggled to bond with them, still plagued by the memory of her two older sons she had all but abandoned, but she cared for them well and ensured they were well associated with the pack who would take over a bulk of their care when the moon was heavy. When they were old enough to eat meat, she left them fully in the care of their sire and pack and returned to her duties - though she always kept a wistful, watchful eye on them. For all she was content at the Western Eye, memories still plagued her. The life she could have had and was lost never fully left her mind no matter how much she meditated and tried to banish it. There was still a ghost to exorcise.</span></p>
   
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==Appearance==
 
==Appearance==
  +
[[File:Dakotalupus.jpg|thumb|Dakota In Lupus]]<span style="background-color:rgb(242,242,242);">
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(51,46,30);"><span style="letter-spacing:0.0px">In homid, Dakota appears as a woman in her late twenties and of average height and weight, athletic and fit but neither overbuilt or too lean. She's predominantly caucasian in appearance, but had the thick, wavy hair one might expect better suited on a Mediterranean woman - save her's is brown in color instead of black. Her eyes are large and expressive, a dark brown in color, though couched in the fewest hints of early creases.</span></p>
+
</span><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(51,46,30);"><span style="letter-spacing:0.0px">In homid, Dakota appears as a woman in her late twenties and of average height and weight, athletic and fit but neither overbuilt or too lean. She's predominantly caucasian in appearance, but had the thick, wavy hair one might expect better suited on a Mediterranean woman - save her's is brown in color instead of black. Her eyes are large and expressive, a dark brown in color, though couched in the fewest hints of early creases.</span></p>
   
 
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(51,46,30);"><span style="letter-spacing:0.0px">She wears basic rustic-styled 'trendy' clothing, a sort of Bohemian flare, though generally doesn't wear much in the way of jewelry. In her wolf forms, she clearly displays her close Fury heritage, in a glossy dark pelt that appears black until it's under significant sunlight in which it shows itself to be a very dark brown. Her throat is marked with a splash of white and her eyes are a clear deep amber.</span></p>
 
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(51,46,30);"><span style="letter-spacing:0.0px">She wears basic rustic-styled 'trendy' clothing, a sort of Bohemian flare, though generally doesn't wear much in the way of jewelry. In her wolf forms, she clearly displays her close Fury heritage, in a glossy dark pelt that appears black until it's under significant sunlight in which it shows itself to be a very dark brown. Her throat is marked with a splash of white and her eyes are a clear deep amber.</span></p>
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==Relevant Sheet Info==
 
==Relevant Sheet Info==
  +
 
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{| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="article-table" style="width: 500px;"
 
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Revision as of 19:34, 17 April 2014

  • Name: Dakota Warner (maiden name), Dakota Winters (married name), Faces-Down-Another's-Rage/Faces-Rage (cub name), Heals-the-Rifts-Of-Man/Rifthealer (cliath name), Sacrifices-the-Heart's-Blood/Heart's-Blood (fostern name)
  • Race: Garou
  • Breed: Homid
  • Auspice: Theurge
  • Tribe: Children of Gaia
  • Rank: Fostern (2)
  • Birthdate: Jan 4th, 2987
  • Creation Date: 10/2003 (Cub)
  • Departure Date: 2/2006 (Cliath)
  • Return Date: 4/2014 (Fostern)

History Part 1: Pride Before The Fall

Dakotahomid

Dakota In Homid

Dakota was born amongst normal kinfolk who was sent off to a caern in Washington state known as The Hidden Walk upon her first change to be trained by her cousin, Alicia. There she became quickly known as feisty, as Children of Gaia go, unafraid of a challenge and actually fairly competent in a battle - be it with creature of the Wyrm or sparring practice with Get of Fenris. Even more, though, she was a sponge when it came to anything even resembling spiritual knowledge and eagerly chased down any of the older Garou in the hopes she might learn a new bit of knowledge. She was barely out of her cubhood when she was asked to join a pack led by the Adren Fianna sept alpha under stag, along with her own cousin (then Tribe Elder) and two other highly ranked Garou. Startled but well pleased by the honor, she accepted, and quickly gained recognition for the company she carried and the dedication she gave to her job. She even spent time as the guardian and caretaker of the sept's farmhouse, a rural safehouse just off the bawn where cubs and kinfolk spent much of their time. She was named Master of Rites and then Gatekeeper, a meteoric rise to power almost unheard of in a Cliath. In time, She even took a Glass Walker kin, named Jeremy, as a mate and bore two kinfolk sons. It didn't initially go over well, as the two eloped as opposed to asking the permission of their elders, but they were generally considered harmless and avoided punishments. She held strong relations with the tribes and with her connections and roles it seemed she was untouchable, on the fast track to fame.

In just a few short years after her Rite of Passage, she challenged for Fostern and was just waiting for acknowledgement at the next moot for the completion of the talens she was requested to make when everything came crashing down. A conflict between her, Jeremy, and a Shadow Lord found her mate labeled a traitor and slated for death. for Fearing the frenzy of the Lord, he brandished a silver-loaded gun at the raging Garou in self-defense, though he never once fired. Dakota’s adamant arguments that he was both only protecting himself and that killing him would leave their infant children without caretakers all fell on deaf ears and soon enough punishments were scheduled to fall upon her as well - primarily for her knowledge of the hidden weapon and for dishonorable conduct against her elders. Infuriated, confused, and terrified, one night Dakota bid the caern totem farewell and left the sept and moved her family into hiding. Jeremy took the boys to a safe haven and with him went a family friend, a Galliard Walker named Trent, to protect them. Alicia and Dakota went south to San Francisco and the Sept of the Western Eye, hoping the American stronghold of their tribe would provide respite and to seek out family that might be there. The year was 2006.

History Part 2: The Meaning of Sacrifice

Dakjerkids

Daniel and Roger Winters (age 6)

She told the sept elders of the Western Eye the whole story, and though compassionate as Children of Gaia are often known for, they were still displeased at the events. They stated that though her intentions to protect her family were noble and that she had been worthy of the Fostern rank that was never given, the risk she left the caern in by abandoning her post as Gatekeeper were appalling. In return for her remaining among them and being granted the rank, she would have to sacrifice that which she fought so hard to protect and instead remind herself of the true battle that needed fought. For the span of five years, one year for each phase of the moon, she was not to leave the bawn nor have contact with the family she sent away to protect - instead giving her time and attention fully to the well-being of the caern and the duties of her auspice and tribe. If she failed, she would be cast away, dishonored and septless. If she succeeded, she would we welcome and free to challenge for rank once more. Trusting Trent to keep her family safe, Dakota agreed, mourning the separation from her family but knowing full well she needed to regain her honor if she had any chance of being little more than a ronin. 

She lived through those five years, not quite an accepted member but grudgingly welcomed like an errant family member all the same. She assisted however she could. She following the Groundskeeper to help tend the land and learn the bawn and the spirits who lived there. She ran with the Guardian packs, striking down those who threatened the caern. She listened at the feet of the ancient and wise Ritemaster and Gatekeeper, learning what they would offer and honing her own skills and knowledge with the same hungry fervor she was known for as a cub. She came to be well known and regarded at the Western Eye and even came to know of some distant relations still residing there from both her Gaian and Fury lineages. She came to know the latter quite closely, enraptured by the stories of her maternal grandfather, Justinian "Restores-the-Wastelands" Petropolis, who was born among the Furies and came to rise to the Athro ranks among the Children as a firm but fair Philodox who’s patient, wise counsel was frequently sought.

It was not easy living, however. Long used to an urban life, the homid-born Dakota chafed at the prolonged life on the bawn. The Muir Woods were a wild labyrinth of woodland in the midst of the city she could only ever see at a distance through the trees. As years passed, she began to grow more accustomed to living as a wolf than a human, pushing away memories of her lost family and life and focusing solely on that day, that next meal, the next fight, the next spirit she needed to work with. She spent a great deal of time interacting with the small, well-protected kinpack sheltered deep in the forest. She stopped thinking of the past and stopped thinking of the future, losing herself in the here and now and taking herself out of the equation. To keep herself grounded in her humanity, she took up practices like Buddhist zen and meditation techniques from the native Uktena of the sept, using it to connect herself to the greater spirit world and her place in it all. She learned to dismiss her anger and her grief, to move past the pain of her exodus from the Hidden Walk and her own flaws. Among it all, she nearly lost her life in a battle with a bane who managed to make it onto the bawn. In the end, she barely held on to her life and her right arm. The scarring and damage would never fully heal and leave her with hampered motion and sensation.

When Dakota stepped before the moot at the end of the fifth year, a chilly spring night in 2011, she was no longer the young, too-proud, naive Theurge that came to them. She was scarred physically, humbled mentally, and had grown spiritually. She’d come to terms and peace with herself and her mistakes and was ready to move forward. With the approval of the sept’s spirits and Garou, her punishment was finally lifted. She challenged on the spot for the rank of Fostern, which was accepted. For the challenge, she was to recreate the talens that she had made for her last challenge. What she presented was what was termed Luck Candy. Hardened circles of raw, naturally-gathered honey each contained a wild four-leaf clover. They were bound with the spirit of a rabbit, and provided the consumer a one-time boon at a particular action. Pleased with the results, the elder fostern declared the challenge a success. Dakota was given then a new name, Sacrifices-the-Heart’s-Blood in remembrance of what she had given up in penance. 

It came as no surprise to her, a few months later, when she was finally reunited with her mate and sons that the boys had no recollection of who she was. They hadn’t even been a year old when she’d last seen them, now nearly six. Jeremy was hurt, angry that she had agreed to be apart, bitter at the knowledge it was the only thing she could do. She let them go. She would always love Jeremy, but too many years had past and there was never a guarantee he would be safe. Her sons saw their mother as someone else, a Walker kinfolk who helped raised them. She relinquished them with a broken heart, giving them fully into the care of the Glass Walkers, and bidding goodbye to the family she had nearly lost everything for. 

History Part 3: Nowhere Left But Up

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Dakota's Pups

With her past behind her, Dakota immersed herself in the Western Eye as a full member of the Sept. So accustomed to the bawn and the spirits there, 

she was a natural fit for one of the Guardian packs. Named Preservation, under the totem of Moose, they were closely associated with the Groundskeeper in both depending and keeping the Muir Woodlands healthy and clean. Their totem’s request, however, was one that took her by surprise. Moose’s seasonal requests mostly dealt around the keeping of the land, but as autumn approached she came to learn that Moose requested his followers breed with the best suited mate. So soon after the loss of her own family, the idea of even thinking of being with someone else was painful. She had vowed she would not take a husband again after splitting with Jeremy. Unwilling to risk the anger of her pack totem, she sought out a compromise. The resident pack of Uktena and Gaian wolves was accepting of her presence and so Dakota sought her company with them. Secretly, she was grateful when nothing came of it. 

2012 was a busy year. Tourists were particularly heavy around the woods and the pack was kept on their toes ensuring no one managed to sneak through the bawn’s misleading defenses. Taking advantage of it, Spirals were seen for the first time in several years making a direct attack on the caern. Dakota was in on the fray and even managed to reclaim two of their fetishes that had been stolen from other Garou and cleansed them before turning them over to the Sept Elders. She continued expanding her knowledge, seeking out Rites from among the elder Theurges and trading talens and errands in exchange. For the most part, the year was peaceful, and she relished the chance to get to live as a full community member. The Sept was pleased, even more when fall came once again and she became pregnant to one of the well-bred Gaian wolves.

On a moonless spring night, she gave birth to three pups, one of which was born true. She struggled to bond with them, still plagued by the memory of her two older sons she had all but abandoned, but she cared for them well and ensured they were well associated with the pack who would take over a bulk of their care when the moon was heavy. When they were old enough to eat meat, she left them fully in the care of their sire and pack and returned to her duties - though she always kept a wistful, watchful eye on them. For all she was content at the Western Eye, memories still plagued her. The life she could have had and was lost never fully left her mind no matter how much she meditated and tried to banish it. There was still a ghost to exorcise.

History Part 5: Homeward Bound

In the late summer of 2013, she bid her pack and the Western Eye farewell. Wanderlust set in, and she spent the fall and winter months traveling through the Umbra, stopping in septs as she passed to trade stories and knowledge for a place to rest. Dakota lived more like a Strider than a Child of Gaia as she sought out the reasons why her heart couldn’t rest. Halloween was spent telling ghost stories at a Uktena sept outside of New Orleans. Thanksgiving was cooking for the homeless with the Children and Gnawers in New York City. She even spent Christmas in a revelrous, half-drunken stupor at a Fenrir sept in Ohio sharing stories of glory with a few old, familiar faces. It was on a journey into her tribal homeland as the snow began to melt that she came to her realization. 

She had made peace with herself. She had let her family go free. Never, though, had she thought about making amends with the sept that she had first called home. Feeling it was the last missing piece in being able to finally move forward, she reached out to her cousin, Alicia, and asked if she was willing to return to Washington. It took some convincing, but she finally agreed. For the first time in eight years, Dakota turned her eyes towards the Hidden Walk and hoped she might be able to close an old, painful wound at last.

Appearance

Dakotalupus

Dakota In Lupus

In homid, Dakota appears as a woman in her late twenties and of average height and weight, athletic and fit but neither overbuilt or too lean. She's predominantly caucasian in appearance, but had the thick, wavy hair one might expect better suited on a Mediterranean woman - save her's is brown in color instead of black. Her eyes are large and expressive, a dark brown in color, though couched in the fewest hints of early creases.

She wears basic rustic-styled 'trendy' clothing, a sort of Bohemian flare, though generally doesn't wear much in the way of jewelry. In her wolf forms, she clearly displays her close Fury heritage, in a glossy dark pelt that appears black until it's under significant sunlight in which it shows itself to be a very dark brown. Her throat is marked with a splash of white and her eyes are a clear deep amber.

The evidence of old scars is generally hidden under clothing or fur, save her hands which have old burn-like scars tinged grey-black, like someone had marked them with ash. A jagged, large scar runs from the back of her right shoulder blade up across and over her collar bone to her chest. Normal eyes may see it as some sign of an accident with a power tool or a car, though close inspection to those familiar suggests the ragged edges look more like marks of gigantic teeth.

Hooks and Contacts

  • She's got connections at the Western Eye among the Garou and kin populations
  • She is utterly voracious when it comes to ritual knowledge. No, serious, she's a shark - she'll try to learn whatever you wanna offer. She's equally delighted to teach, so don't be afraid to ask. She's a devout believer in the sharing of knowledge.
  • I'm not opposed to someone wishing to play her Lupus Ragabash pup (gender/appearance up to player), they were born spring of 2013. 

Relevant Sheet Info

GIFTS Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Has

Persuasion

Echos

Spirit Speech

Sense Wyrm

Resist Pain

Mother's Touch

Water Conning

Command Spirit
Seeking none currently
RITES Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Has

Rite of Cleansing

Rite of the Questing Stone

Rite of Talisman Dedication

Baptism of Fire

Rite of Binding

Impergium's Shadow

The Long Vigil

Opening the Inner Sky

Fortune's Reversal

Rite of Comfort

Rite of Reawakening

Rite of Homecoming
Seeking none currently